the great role of jean-louis vey, apostolic vicar of siam

166 Pages·2007·0.62 MB·English

PONTIFICIA UNIVERSITAS GREGORIANA
FACULTAS HISTORIAE ECCLESIASTICAE

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

THE GREAT ROLE OF JEAN-LOUIS VEY, APOSTOLIC
VICAR OF SIAM (1875-1909), IN THE CHURCH HISTORY
OF THAILAND DURING THE REFORMATION PERIOD
OF KING RAMA V, THE GREAT (1868-1910)

Auctore
SURACHAI CHUMSRIPHAN

Dissertatio ad Doctoratum
in Facultate Historiae Ecclesiasticae
Pontificiae Universitatis Gregorianae

ROMA 1990
PREFACE

This study is an expression of my attempt to write one of the most important parts of the
Church history of Thailand, the part which nobody has touched before. I have chosen to concentrate
on the role of an Apostolic Vicar who directed the Catholic Mission of Siam one hundred years ago.
I have realized that without knowing something of the history of the country and of the Catholic
Church, it would be difficult to measure the missionary role and works of this important Apostolic
Vicar, Mgr. Jean-Louis Vey.
I would like to dedicate this study to all the missionaries who have worked in Siam in the
past and who are working in Thailand today. I also dedicate this study to the Arch-Diocese of
Bangkok.

The study is not easy. It took me one whole year to consult the different archives which
preserve the necessary information, important documents of which were written mostly in French.
Without the valuable help of so many kind persons, too many to be mentioned here by name, this
study could have not been accomplished. I have acknowledged this precious help and support at
appropriate places. I would like to pay tribute of gratitude firstly and especially to Professor
L๓pez-Gay Jes๚s, S.J., who kindly accepted my request to guide me in this study and who steadily
encouraged me to complete it. This work would not have been possible without his good
suggestions; to him, my profound gratitude. Also, my thanks go to all the professors of the faculty
of Ecclesiastical History in the Gregorian University who in these past 5 years have inspired me by
their dedication and example.

A special word of thanks to all the archivists who helped me in consulting the documents. I
gratefully acknowledge the precious help of Father Vorayuth Kitbamrung, Miss Orasa
Chaowchin and Miss Kingdao Chaowphraeknoi, who searched for, and sent me various
documents and books which I needed, from the archives of the Arch-Diocese of Bangkok.
Also, I would like to express particular thanks to M re Miriam Kitcharoen, Mother
Provincial of Soeurs de St. Paul de Chartres in Thailand, who went to Chartres and sent me
photocopies of the documents I needed; to my confr res who helped me in translating the French
documents; to Father Trevor Murray and Father Ambrose Vaz who dedicated their precious
time to correct my English.

I realize how incomplete this study is, and therefore, I take upon myself all responsibility for
its shortcomings and errors. Suggestions to better and deepen my knowledge in the field of this
study would be gratefully appreciated, and I will make use of them in my study in the future.

Rome, February 13, 1990.

(Surachai Chumsriphan)
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE.....................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS..............................................iii
INTRODUCTION........................................................ix
ABBREVIATIONS.....................................................xiii

CHAPTER I
Siam and Her History up to The Beginning of The Bangkok Period

1. From The Beginning to The Ayutthaya Period................................................................. 1
1.1 The Name of the Country, Siam: Thailand........................................................... 1
1.2 The Beginnings of The Thai History.................................................................... 3
1.3 The Rise of the Kingdom of Sukhothai............................................................... 10
1.4 Phra Ruong Dynasty............................................................................................ 12
1.5 Social, Religious and Political Situation.............................................................. 13
1.6 The End of Phra Ruong Dynasty and the New Capital....................................... 19
1.7 The Rise of Ayutthaya, the New Capital of the Thais......................................... 20

2. Ayutthaya and the Beginning of the New Dynasties....................................................... 22
2.1 General Situation................................................................................................. 23
2.2 The Thai-Burmese War and the First Burmese Occupation of Ayutthaya.......... 27
2.3 King Naresuan, the Great (1590-1605), and the Thai Independence................. 29
2.4 The Succession to the Throne up to King Narai, the Great................................. 31
2.5 Relation with the European Countries................................................................. 35
2.5.1 Relation with Portugal............................................................................. 36
2.5.2 The Dutch's Coming and the Reaction of the Portuguese................... 37
2.5.3 The Arrival of The English and the Reaction of the Dutch........... 40
2.5.4 The Arrival of the French and the Religious Situation................ 42
2.5.5 King Narai's Attitude towards the French Missionaries..................... 43
2.6 Phra Phetracha and The Revolution of 1688....................................................... 46
2.7 The Invasion of Burma and the Destruction of Ayutthaya.................................. 48
2.8 King Taksin and the Restoration of Independence.............................................. 50

CHAPTER II
Christianity in Siam

1. Historical Background..................................................................................................... 55
1.1 "Padroado" and The Establishment of Portuguese Bishops in Asia................... 55
1.1.1 The Meaning and Origin of "Padroado".................................................. 55
1.1.2 The Establishment of Portuguese Bishops in Asia................................... 61
A. Goa, the First Diocese of the East....................................................... 61
B. Malacca............................................................................................... 62
C. Macao.................................................................................................. 63
1.2 Propaganda Fide and the Sending of the Apostolic Vicars.................................. 64
1.2.1 The Purpose of Sending the Apostolic Vicars.......................................... 65
1.2.2 Instruction of Propaganda Fide to the Apostolic Vicars........................... 67
2. The early Missionaries of Padroado in Siam................................................................... 69
2.1 The Dominicans................................................................................................... 73
2.2 The Franciscans....................................................................................................75
2.3 The Jesuits.............................................................................................................76
2.3.1 The First Jesuit in Siam............................................................................76
2.3.2 The First Jesuit Residence and Its End (1626-1632)...............................77
2.3.3 The Second Jesuit Residence and College (1655-1709)..........................79
2.4 The Conflicts between "Padroado" and Apostolic Vicars...................................82
2.5 The Controversy between the Jesuits and the Apostolic Vicars...........................87

3. Successfulness and Obstacles of Missionary Works........................................................91
3.1 The Growth of the Missionary Works..................................................................91
3.2 The Obstacles to Evangelization...........................................................................96

CHAPTER III
Siam and King Rama V, The Great

1. The Bangkok period: From Rama I to Rama IV.............................................................103
1.1 The Succession to the Throne.............................................................................103
1.2. The General Situation.........................................................................................105
1.2.1. Consolidation of the Kingdom: The Wars with Burma..........................105
1.2.2 The Subjugation of the Lao Kingdoms and of Cambodia......................106
1.2.3. Relations with the Western Countries.....................................................107
1.2.4. The Modernization of the Country by Rama IV (1851-1868)................110

2. King Rama V, the Great (1868-1910).............................................................................114
2.1. The Front Palace Crisis.......................................................................................115
2.1.1 The Position of the Front Palace or Wang Na........................................116
2.1.2. The Outbreak of the Crisis......................................................................117
2.1.3. The Solution of the Crisis.......................................................................118
2.2. Relation with the Foreign Countries and Political Problems..............................119
2.2.1. The Political Problems with France........................................................120
2.2.2. The Anglo-Thai Relations.......................................................................121
2.3. The Country-Reformation...................................................................................123
2.3.1 The Social Uplifting and the Welfare of the People...............................123
2.3.2. The Reform of the Administration..........................................................126
2.3.3. The Peace of the Country........................................................................126
2.4. Conclusion..........................................................................................................127

CHAPTER IV
The Great Role of Mgr. Jean-Louis Vey, Apostolic Vicar of Siam

1. Religious Situation of Siam in the First Half of the 19th Century...................................131

2. The Catholic Mission in Siam before Vey's Arrival.......................................................134

3. Jean-Louis Vey's Missionary Life...................................................................................135
3.1 His Missionary Vocation....................................................................................135
3.2 The Episcopal Problem.......................................................................................138
3.3 Evangelization in Laos........................................................................................141
3.3.1 Origin of the Evangelization in Laos......................................................142
3.3.2 The Separation of the Mission of Laos...................................................146
3.3.3 Mgr. Vey's Role in the Election..............................................................147
3.4 The Progress of the Mission of Siam..................................................................149

4. Missionary Methods of Mgr. Vey...................................................................................152
4.1 Good Relations with the Siamese Government..................................................152
4.2 Vey's Policy Conformable to the Country-Reformation.....................................156
4.2.1 Education................................................................................................157
4.2.2 Hospital...................................................................................................161
4.3 The Printing Press and His Missionary Works...................................................163
4.4 The Seminary, His Colleagues and Collaborators..............................................165
4.4.1 The Native Clergy...................................................................................165
4.4.2 Relation with the Missionaries................................................................167
4.4.3 The Importance of The Catechists..........................................................169

5. The Obstacles of The Missionary Works........................................................................170
5.1 The System of The Country................................................................................171
5.2 The Chinese Secret Societies..............................................................................172
5.3 Political Problems with France...........................................................................175
5.4 Missionaries' Viewpoint on Buddhism...............................................................176

GENERAL CONCLUSION

1. Mgr. Vey's Virtues and Spirituality................................................................................179

2. The Continuity of His Missionary Directions.................................................................181
2.1 The Extension of the Mission of Siam................................................................181
2.2 The Coming of Religious Orders........................................................................183
2.2.1 For Education..........................................................................................183
2.2.2 For the Missionary Works......................................................................184
2.2.3 For Other Special Purposes.....................................................................184

3. Final Conclusion.............................................................................................................185

MAPS AND PHOTOGRAPHS..................................................................................................189

APPENDIX I: Table of The Apostolic Vicar of Siam....................................................213

APPENDIX I: Table of The Apostolic Vicar of Siam....................................................213

APPENDIX II: Letter of King Rama V to Mgr. Vey
(in Thai character)...................................................................................215
(English Translation)...............................................................................217

APPENDIX III: Letter of the Second King of Siam to Mgr. Vey
(in Thai character)...................................................................................218
(English Translation)...............................................................................219

BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
The Motivation and Purpose. The motivation which stimulated me to study the great role
of Mgr. Jean-Louis Vey, Apostolic Vicar of Siam, in the Church history of Thailand during the
reformation-period of King Rama V, the Great, comes from the fact that more than 400 years of
evangelization in Siam since the first missionaries arrived there in 1567, Siam has produced nothing
spectacular in the sense of the conversion of the Siamese, compared to its population; there have
been no large numbers of baptisms. The seed was planted in faith, in prayer, with yearning love and
oft with tears. Sometimes the seed-time and the harvest-time seemed unduly separated. If this was
the only criteria of success, the verdict must be "failure". Sometimes, "having eyes we see not",
because we look for only one manner of fruitage, and fail to recognize the harvest spread before our
very eyes. But as one traces the history down through the years, the impression deepens that God
has been working His purposes out and that the seed sowed in faith and prayer and with repeated
call for the prayer of the local churches did bear fruit, a hundred folds. An interesting history it is.

The missionaries were men of strong convictions. They came to a land of a different race, a
different tongue, different customs and a different religion. By the depth of their sympathy and by
the genuineness and sincerity of their affection for the people of the land of their adoption, they
were able to establish contact with the needy and also with those in highest places of power. Siam,
proud in its independence, strong in its position as Defender of Buddhism, reached out and
welcomed into its very heart the earnest disciples of another faith.

Siam has changed greatly in the hundred years just past. From an almost hermit nation
without modern civilization it has developed into a land definitely trying to work out its own course
of development from the time of king Rama IV and king Rama V. Siam has developed into a
unique unit in the family of nations. Many asides from the missionary have shared in the
development of Siam, particular mention must be made of the important role of Mgr. Vey, who was
directing the Catholic Mission of Siam during this remarkable period.
From these points of view, I hope that this study would be a study of faith, a study of
courage and determination of the rarest type; it is the story of great triumph over discouragements
of, at times, an almost overwhelming nature. It is the story of prayer, the sort that "removes
mountains"; it is the story of the sower who went forth to sow.

The Limitation of The Study. The limits of this study will arrive unto the period of King
Rama V's reign or in other words the period of Mgr. Vey's episcopate since they were living in the
same period. This means that the heart of this study will begin from the year of the arrival in Siam
of Mgr. Vey in 1865 and end in the year 1909, the year of his death. However the scope of the study
will not be the biographical of Mgr. Vey, but his role in the Church history of Thailand; so his
missionary projects, his directions, his methodology and his personal virtues will be presented and
reflected.
For the historical study, it is also necessary to understand some important facts of Siam or
Thailand and its history. The situation and relations with the foreign countries in its history are also
indispensable. And in order to understand better the role of Mgr. Vey, a short summarized history
of the Catholic church in Thailand has to be presented, particularly for the sake of foreigner readers.
So I divide this study into 4 chapters.

In the first chapter, an overall picture of the kingdom of Siam and its people from the
beginning up to the end of Thonburi period will be given. The second chapter will describe the
history and situation of Christianity in Siam from the beginning up to the same period mentioned
above. The situation of Siam will be divided into 2 parts in the third chapter. The first part will
describe the general and situation of the country from the beginning of Bangkok period to the end
of king Rama IV's reign, during which the modernization of the country had begun.
The second part will focus on the specific situation and development of the country during
the reign of King Rama V. In the fourth chapter, the Church history of Siam will be continued until
the arrival of Mgr. Vey and then his role, his missionary methods, the obstacles, the reflexion of his
missionary life will be looked at. It is useful to notice that I try to avoid the repetition of the
contents as much as possible, laying out the situation and circumstances of the country before going
on to the real topic.

The Methodology. Regards to my methodology, I try to follow the historical methodology
as much as I can. The manuscript letter-correspondence between Siam and France, which are
conserved in the archives of the Archdiocese of Bangkok and of Missions Etrangères de Paris
where I myself went to consult them, will be my principal sources of this study. It's all the same for
the archives of Propaganda Fide. For the concerned topics in this study, the unpublished sources
from the other archives will be utilized. The study is also based on published as well as
contemporary sources in English and French as far as they are available to me.

The quotation of the sources will be done in original languages as far as possible, since it is
better and useful for interested readers to arrive at the real sources. As far as the Siamese or the
Thai language will be concerned, the citation will be made by (in Thai). Since some Thai authors
have their own rank and titles which they always use in their works, I have to explain also the
system of the classification.

Modern Thai royalty is governed by a rule of declining descent, by the terms of which each
successive generation diminishes one degree in status, until members of the sixth generation are
commoners. The children and grandchildren of kings, termed Chao Fa or Phra Ong Chao, and
Mom Chao, are usually referred to as Princes and Princesses. The next two generations are not.
They are Mom Ratchawong (M.R.W. or M.R.) and Mom Luang (M.L.).
Rank and titles were conferred on the bureaucratic and military nobility until the end of the
absolute monarchy in 1932, a rank and title usually being associated with an office. The
Chaophraya were highest on the list, the equivalents of cabinet ministers, generals, and the
governors of the most important provincial cities. On a descending scale came Phraya, Phra,
Luang, and Khun. So the given name was written after the title to distinguish him from others. In
this study, these titles will be cited where they are of concern, for example, V. MATRA, Khun; C.
CHAKRABONGSE, H.R.H. Prince.

I will use the name Siam for the country as it was so universally accepted, until I come to
the time when it was officially changed to Thailand, as accepted by the United Nations and all the
countries with which Thailand has diplomatic relations.

The past is past, but in a wonderful measure the past reveals the future. So we who have
shared in this effort of bringing together the story of the past century, hope that the reading of this
study may bring to the hearts of the readers as it has to me, new courage to carry on the work left us
by the missionaries, a new appreciation of the worth of the missionary enterprise and a new joy at
the realization that we are entered into labors of those who have gone on before. "One sows and
another reaps, but God alone gives the increase" ( Cf. 1 Co. 3, 6-7 ).

ABBREVIATIONS

AAB Archives of the Archdiocese of Bangkok
Acta CP Acta Sacred Congregationis Congregazioni Particolari
AME Archives of Missions Etrangères de Paris
A.P.F. Annales de L'Association de la Propagation de la Foi
ARSI Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu
ASCPF Archives of Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide
Atti CP Atti Congregazioni Particolari
B.A.C. Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos
B.O.P. Bulletin de L'Oeuvre des Partants
Bull. Pat. Portug. Bullarium Patronatus Portugalliae
Bull. Rom. Bullarium Romanum
C.O. Colonial Office
F.O. Foreign Office
H.R.H., Prince His Royal Highness, Prince
JSS The Journal of The Siam Society
M.C. Missions Catholiques. Bulletin hebdomadaire illustré de L'Oeuvre de
la Propagation de la Foi.
M.E.P. Missions Etrangères de Paris
Mgr. Monseigneur
MHSI Monumenta Historica Societatis Iesu
M.R. Mom Ratchawong ( see Explanation in Introduction )
NCE New Catholic Encyclopedia
SCPF Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide
SOCP Scritture Originali della Congregazioni Particolari
SRCP Scritture Referite Congregazioni Particolari
SRCP Ind. Or. Scritture Referite Congregazioni Particolari Indiarum Orientalium

CHAPTER I

Siam and Her History up to The Beginning of The Bangkok Period

1. From The Beginning to The Ayutthaya Period
1.1 The Name of the Country, Siam: Thailand

Simon de La Loubère, in his "A New Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam", points
out that

The name of Siam is unknown to the Siamese. It is one of those words which the
Portuguese of the Indies do use, and of which it is very difficult to discover the
original... The Siamese give to themselves the name of Thai or Free, as the word now
signifies in their language: and thus flatter themselves with bearing the name of
Francs, which our ancestors assumed when they resolved to deliver the Gauls from
the Roman Power.1

According to H. E. Smith, in his "Historical and Cultural Dictionary of Thailand",

The name Siam was first used by Sir James Lancaster in 1592. In the 17th century,
Siam was generally used as the country's name among Europeans.2

Rong Syamananda confirms the fact when he says:

The word Siam was used by Sir James Lancaster in his first voyage to the Far East in
1592 and by the 17th century, Siam became the generally accepted name of the
country among the Europeans, as witnessed by De La Loubère's book on Siam
(French version) which was printed at Paris in 1691 and its English version which
was issued at London in 1693.3

1S. DE LA LOUBERE, A New Historical Relation of the Kingdom of Siam, Vol. I, done out of French by A.P. Gen. R. SS., London: Printed by
F.L. for Tho. Horne at the Royal Exchange, Francis Saunders at the New Exchange, and Tho. Bennet at the Half-Moon in St. Pauls Church-Yard,
1693, pp. 6-7; Monsieur De La Loubère was the Extraordinary Envoy from the French king to the king of Siam in the years 1687 and 1688.
2H.E. SMITH, Historical and Cultural Dictionary of Thailand, New Jersey: the Scare Crow Press Inc., 1976, p. 164.
3R. SYAMANANDA, A History of Thailand, Bangkok: Thai Watana Panich 19814, p. 4.
However, as will be mentioned again in chapter 2, St. Francis Xavier mentioned the name "Siam" in
his correspondence of October 1552 from Sancian to his friends in Malacca. That means the name
Siam has been used before the year 1592. Historically, the Thai people did not call their country
Siam, but referred to themselves as "Muang Thai". The word "Muang" corresponds to "Land" or
"City" and "Thai" signifies "Free". The name Siam in the Thai language did not appeal to the Thais
who preferred to call their country by the official name of the current capital, for example: the
country was known as the kingdom of Sukhothai from 1238-1378, the kingdom of Ayutthaya from
1350-1767. At the beginning of the Bangkok period, it was known as "Muang Thai" or "Krung
Thai" (Thai State), as witnessed in the Burney Treaty of 1826. Siam became the official name of the
country only in the reign of the fourth monarch of the Chakri Dynasty, King Mongkut or Rama IV
(1851-1868). Anyway, when he signed the treaty with Great Britain on April 18, 1855, Muang Thai
was still used, but in the ratification of the said "Bowring Treaty" on April 5, 1856, Siam was
substituted for Muang Thai for the first time and continued to be used till June 24, 1939.4
After the revolution of 1932, the new government became increasingly nationalistic-minded.
When Prime Minister Phibun Songkram took office at the end of 1938, he began on a programme of
national reconstruction. With regard to the name, Prades Thai was adopted in place of Siam and its
equivalent in English was the name Thailand.
This change was clearly stated in the State Convention Number One, which was issued by
the Thai government on June 24, 1939.5 The reason given was that the new name conformed to the
racial origins and the popular practice of the Thai people.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the British and the French continued to cling to
the name of Siam. After the Pearl Harbor attack on December 8, 1941, the Japanese troops passed
through the country, and as a result of the alliance made with Japan, Thailand declared war on the
U.S.A. and Great Britain on January 25, 1942. Luckily for the Thai people, Mr. James Byrnes (who
was the American State Secretary) in August 1945, announced the Thai declaration of war null and
void, since it was against their will. The Allied troops, then moved into Bangkok in order to disarm
and repatriate the Japanese soldiers. The Thai government deemed it a necessity to please the
Allies, and therefore reverted to the old name of Siam towards the end of 1945.
After the Coup d'état of November 8, 1947, Field Marshal Phibun Songkram became Prime
Minister again and on May 11, 1949, he announced that the official name of the country would be
Thailand. It is right and proper that this should be so, since it is the correct translation of "Muang
Thai", and the Thai people are generally pleased with this and still use this name up to the present
day. We will use either Siam or Thailand as the case may be throughout this text.

1.2 The Beginnings of The Thai History
Firstly, in attempting to trace the beginnings of the Thai history, we have primarily to be
concerned with the question: where did the Thais actually originate?, and secondly with the fact
that the course of Thai history is complex because the historical experience of the Thais has taken
place over and through a series of changing environments.

4Ibid.; see also SMITH, op. cit., pp. 164-165.
5Cf. Siam, in Dictionary Catalog of the Missionary Research Library, Vol. 14, New York: G.K. Hall and Com., 1968, p. 312. The word Siam, as
a matter of fact, means firstly swarthy and secondly it means gold. If the word is applied to people, the meaning will be swarthy people, if applied to
the country, it will be a gold bearing one. There are some different opinions about the meaning of the word, still in discussion. Some hold that "Siam"
is a Cambodian word meaning "brown". Others claim that it comes from a Pali word meaning "black". Some propose that the word is a Burmese word
meaning "free".